"I hate you!" D'Argo shouted at his father, before stampeding out of the chamber.
John was devastated.
His own son, shouting that he hated him.
If D'Argo had put dynamite in his mouth and would have set it off, John would have felt somewhat the same.
"I've had many offspring, Crichton." Rygel said wise. "And they've all hated me."
"He doesn't mean it, Crichton." Chiana said to him, trying to comfort the old man. "Every child once says to their parents that they hate them. It's only natural."
"There are good times and bad times." Rygel said. "You of all people should know. You don't get the good times without the bad times."
"Cheer up, Crichton." Chiana said. "We're all angry sometimes. And most of the times at ourselves."
All these kind words of advice did not make John feel any better.
It only made him think about his own youth, where he said those words to his own father.
John laid his head to rest in Aeryn's hands.
It made him forget his mistakes, if only for a little while.
"Don't worry, John." Aeryn said, as she kissed him gently. "He'll come around. Just like all the other times."
"You didn't hear him, Aeryn." John replied to his wife as he stared at the walls. "You didn't see the look on his face."
The hatred in D'Argo's voice was genuine.
"Commander!" Pilot's voice said suddenly said.
His kind but alarmed voice echoed through the corridors of Moya.
"D'Argo's stolen your module! He's heading towards the planet!"
"I'll follow him!" Aeryn said.
"No." John replied as he stopped her. "This is my responsibility."
He only had to look into her eyes once.
"I'll bring him back." he said softly.
He stepped into a Transport Pod and followed his son into outer space, watching him enter orbit of this unknown forest-covered planet.
Memories of past mistakes came back to John.
"I'm fed up with all of you..." a faint voice in his head said.
A memory of days long gone...
Clear blue skies caught his eyes as he landed the craft on the ground.
A strong wind blew in his face as he opened the doors.
The first steps on to the planet's sandy ground were difficult for the old Crichton.
His back was hurting him, and he almost fell as he missed one of the steps.
"Damn, old man." John said to himself. "Be careful. You're not as young as you used to be."
The wind blew wet air into his face as he walked down to a long and strong-flowing river.
He saw his Module parked on the top of a cliff, and his son down by the river.
John hesitated at first, not knowing what to say to his angry son.
Apologising was a good way to start.
He climbed down the rough slope, towards the banks of the river.
"Go away." D'Argo said to him.
D'Argo had his back turned to his father.
He angrily threw stones into the river.
John ignored his son's words and walked closer towards D'Argo.
"Didn't I tell you to go?" D'Argo said.
"I'm getting old." John joked. "My hearing is all screwed up. I'm thinking about going to a Diagnosian to get them fixed. What do you say?"
D'Argo hesitated to say anything to his father, but John waited nonetheless.
"I don't care." D'Argo said. "They're your ears. You could transplant Vulcan ears on your head for all I care."
He angrily threw another rock into the water.
"Yeah, live long and prosper." John said. "That'd d be cool."
"That would be ridiculous." D'Argo said cold.
D'Argo's eyes were still focused on the river. He refused to look at his father.
"Yeah, it would." John said smiling.
As D'Argo's rocks ran out, he reluctantly faced his father.
He squinted his eyes as he looked straight into the sun.
"You done?" John asked.
"Almost." D'Argo said.
They stood their silently, facing each other.
"Your mom is going to kick your ass, you know that right?"
"She won't if I don't go back." D'Argo said, before turning his back on his father and walking away.
"D'Argo..." John said.
His old black Peacekeeper coat moved in the wind.
Clouds moved in front of the sun.
"Don't be stupid." John said. "The others are waiting for you."
"I don't care." D'Argo said. "I don't want to go anyway."
"What?" John said surprised as he followed his son along the riverbank.
"I am sick of traveling." D'Argo went on. "Sick of spending my entire life in space. Sick of being alone..."
"You're not alone." John said.
"I AM alone!" D'Argo shouted.
John was speechless for a moment.
"I've always been alone!" D'Argo went on. "No-one to play with. No-one to laugh with..."
"Your mother and I..." John tried to say, but his words were overshadowed by D'Argo's rage.
"No-one MY age!" D'Argo shouted.
"D'Argo..." John said.
"No!" D'Argo replied.
"D..."
D'Argo was silent for a moment, as his anger filled his thoughts, and in the end he walked away.
John did not follow him.
He knew that D'Argo needed to be alone.
That he needed time.
Time...
"Wounds all heels..." John whispered to himself.
He lowered himself with difficulty to the ground, sat down on a large pile of rocks, and waited.
And he waited a long time.
He waited until the sun set.
Until the river lost his strength.
Until day turned into dusk, and blue skies turned into grey.
As he felt the time came nearer, John stood up and walked along the riverbank, until he found his son, sitting in a similar stance, thinking about past mistakes.
Something John had done many times.
"Still here, old man?" D'Argo asked.
John noticed D'Argo was swiftly wiping away the tears from his eyes.
"You know how stubborn I am." John said.
"As stubborn as a Luxan," D'Argo said, quoting his aunt Chiana.
"As stubborn as a father who loves his son." John corrected him.
D'Argo looked at him. Both sad and angry.
"You don't love me." he said.
"I do love you." John said.
"No, you don't. You've never loved me. I'm a stupid, weak, crying, human-sebacean hybrid. I will never be as strong as mom, or as smart as you, dad. I'll never be anything."
"You are whoever you are." John said. "And we love you, no matter what you are. Whether it's stupid, weak, sad, angry, crazy, a hybrid, or a drannit. We love you, no matter what. You are our son. My son."
"Your deficient son."
"You are not deficient." John said. "You're smarter then I am! Probably because you got your mother's genes. And the fact that you are a hybrid doesn't make you lesser then anybody. It makes you special. It makes you better!"
"I'm not special." D'Argo replied.
"You're the only Sebacean-Human hybrid in the universe." John said. "Don't you think that makes you special or what?"
D'Argo looked away.
"And if that doesn't convince you yet, think about this: you were born in a war. And not just any war: the biggest war in the entire history of the galaxy! And I'm not just saying in a war, you were IN the war. Right in the middle of it. You were 1 day old, and you managed to survive a war."
John noticed a small smile on his son's face.
Something he was waiting for the entire day.
"Now, are you coming or what, mister Sun-Crichton?" John said smiling.
"Dinner is getting cold. As a matter of fact, it's freezing."
D'Argo grabbed his father's hand.
Together they walked along the riverbank, back to their ships.
"And you know what makes you even more special?" John said. "You're my son. That's right."
John kissed his son on the forehead.
"John Crichton's boy." he said smiling.
"Am I going to spend my entire life in your shadow, dad?" D'Argo asked.
"I hope so." John said to his son. "At least, that way, you'll always be close to me. And never too far away."
John entered his Transport Pod and powered up his engines, after informing Moya of their return.
D'Argo stepped into his dad's Module and powered up everything for his departure back to Moya.
"You still think you're alone?" John asked his son.
D'Argo hesitated, but smiled.
"No, not anymore." he said.
John was glad to hear that.
As they entered outer space, D'Argo flew along side his father.
"Dad." he said.
"Yeah?" John asked.
"Thanks for waiting for me."
"Anytime, son." John said. "Anytime..."
"Dad..."
"Hang on a microt." John said. "I have to adjust something here."
"Dad!" D'Argo shouted.
"Wait a minute..."
"Stop your engines, right now!" D'Argo said.
"What?"
"Do it!"
"D'Argo..."
"Dad! Stop!"
John did what his son asked, both confused and curious.
But at that exact same point, a wormhole opened, right in front of John.
John stared right into it's abyss; the familiar blue portal stretched out in front of him.
"Oh my..." John said.
If John had ignored his son, he would've been crushed to death by now.
Crushed by the wormhole's pressure.
As John looked through the window, he saw his son flying his module towards him.
"D'Argo?" John asked.
"How did you know this was going to happen?"
D'Argo did not respond.
"D'Argo...how did you know this?"
"I guess I really am special..." D'Argo replied.